Filed Under: Troublemaker
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: Incidents involving Lucy Heartfilia somehow always manage to end up on Lahar's desk. Lahcy Week 2018
1. Princess

This fic will be a series of connected shorts for Lahcy Week 2018.

I hope you enjoy them.

* * *

 **Day 1: Princess**

* * *

Her file first crossed his desk as a missing person's case.

At the time, Lahar honestly hadn't thought too deeply on it, aside from giving it a casual glance over. The parent had failed to report the girl missing for quite some time, and bore all the signs of a runaway case. Her bags had been packed, a clearly unobservant parent, and a carriage driver that had attested to driving her to the train station made it seem a fairly open and shut case.

That it had reached Lahar at Era was proof of her father's clout, regardless of his daughter's status as a mage, but it really wasn't Lahar's jurisdiction, so he passed it along to the intelligence division to handle.

It wasn't long before they came back with the response that the girl was more than fine, and already causing quite a bit of trouble as a member of the infamous Fairy Tail guild. Just a week or two prior, she reportedly, in conjunction with Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Erza Scarlet, had managed to level two cities, completely destroy a railway and train, and was implicated in the wide scale flooding in Hargeon a month ago with Natsu Dragneel.

As far as debuts as a working mage went, this was fairly spectacular, all told. Lahar resolved to keep an eye out for reports on this girl. She seemed to have the potential to become the princess of the troublemakers in her guild.

Still, there was the matter of her father. Given that the girl was of legal age, and was clearly operating as an independent individual, Lahar was under no impetus to return her to Jude Heartfilia. So he formulated a terse report regarding the situation, and he thought that the end of it.

He could not have been more wrong.

In his defense, it was the first time he'd ever heard of someone hiring an entire guild's worth of mages for a job. And the fact that Phantom Lord would then proceed to not only break the rule of nonaggression to other legal guilds, but that it would go to the extreme lengths that it did in pursuit of one heiress, was completely unprecedented.

The medical reports that came in later about the girl's treatment at the hands of Phantom Lord's members made him wince.

His misgivings about the girl being at the center of a great deal of trouble had been spot on, and yet Lahar only had himself to blame for not taking precautions regarding it. Everything that had happened had been preventable, and it was a guilt he would have to learn from if he was to accomplish his goals with the Rune Knights.

It wasn't too long after that that Era became swept up in the madness wrought by Siegrain… no, Jellal Fernandes, and his co-conspirator Ultear Milkovich. Wild restructuring and the rebuilding process pushed the Phantom Lord incident from Lahar's mind for the immediate while.

But even so, Lahar knew deep down in his soul that this was far from the last that he'd hear about Lucy Heartfilia.


	2. Computer

**Day 2: Computer**

* * *

Normally, Lahar didn't need to visit Era's physical records archives in person. The procedure was supposed to be: Lahar sent a request via his assistant, the assistant would deliver the requisite paperwork, and the report he needed would be delivered to Lahar later in the day. Generally speaking, Rune Knights at the rank of Captains or above were far too busy to be forced into the drudgery that was trying to find a specific file in the towering stacks of them. So it was delegated.

However, ever since Ultear's assault on Era, it had become near impossible to find anything in the archives. That portion of the building had been hit hard by the criminal, and what hadn't been outright destroyed was hopelessly jumbled together, or just lost altogether.

It was the latter that had brought Lahar into the equation this day.

The rebuilding effort was making a good deal of progress, but the disarray of the backlogged reports was still a major concern. In order to prevent this from happening in the future, the archival room would be split into several different rooms around Era, rather than be concentrated in a single one as before. Furthermore, the Council had ordered that everything be backed up using the relatively new magic: Archive. This would also allow for a more rapid exchange of information going forward, something that Era had desperately needed.

Through these organizational efforts, had emerged a curious problem. One that centered around one of Lahar's ongoing cases.

As head of a custody enforcement unit, it was part of Lahar's job to investigate and hunt down dark guilds and the criminals they harbored. The networks maintained by that Baram Alliance, in particular, were his main source of focus. Even if the Rune Knights could take down one of the minor guilds, another would take its place, like the Hydra of myth, regrowing new heads every time one was cut off. The same would also be true of taking down one of the three leaders of the Baram Alliance – the remaining two would simply absorb the surviving member guilds, and only grow more powerful for it.

To effectively dismantle it would require _complete annihilation_ of both the main controlling dark guild, and all of the lesser guilds it commanded simultaneously.

An endeavor of great ambition. The kind that careers were made from.

Which, of course, meant that it involved _massive_ amounts of tactical intelligence to pull off.

Intelligence that was now… missing.

Or rather, it was still present, but not in any usable form.

Most of the contents of the files on that Baram Alliance had been disintegrated, turned to dust and far beyond retrieval. The files themselves, however, were unharmed if scattered around a bit. One of the Archive mages had opened up one on the Dark Unicorn guild, only to be showered in its remains instead.

This, to Lahar, spoke of sabotage well in advance of the destruction that had razed Era to the ground. A deliberate erasing of anything that could be used against the Baram Alliance. Given the method, and the timing, there was really only one possible culprit.

Ultear Milkovich.

This was a devastating loss.

But it wasn't, Lahar concluded, going to prevent him from accomplishing his goal of taking the Baram Alliance down for good. Something had been in there that Ultear hadn't wanted them to see. Something important.

There was still the operatives in the field. And at least two members of Fairy Tail had connections to the traitors Jellal Fernandes and Ultear Milkovich.

It was time to see about implanting a spy in Fairy Tail's midst.


	3. Possession

I hadn't intended for this chapter to end up so long, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

* * *

 **Day 3: Possession**

* * *

"Captain Lahar!"

The man in question, sitting at his desk bent over the last report of the night, looked up into the panicked expression on the face of one of his best intelligence officers. "What is it, Doranbolt?" he inquired, setting the report down and giving the other man his full attention. Doranbolt didn't panic easily – whatever Lahar asked of him, he did with efficiency and near ruthlessness. In the man's civilian life, he was the complete opposite, but when on the job there was no one Lahar would rather have on his side. Whatever had spooked the man was worth Lahar's full attention… especially given where Doranbolt's assignment had been.

"There's something going down in the Worth Woodsea. Something big – the entire forest was shaking, and the dark guild activity has been chaotic. I think I saw Fairy Tail mages, and a wizard saint as well. A lot of fighting's been going on in the forest since early afternoon, but something's changed for the worst."

Lahar stood abruptly from his desk, the report he'd been reading sliding unnoticed to the floor in his haste. "Are you still good to Direct Line?"

Sweat ran down Doranbolt's face, and in his eyes Lahar could see the depth of his subordinate's weariness from the long series of jumps he must have taken to reach Era. But the intelligence officer nodded curtly. "Yes, sir."

"Take me to the squadron nearest the Woodsea. I will be taking command of them." Lahar had sent some men out there mostly as a precaution – a backup in case the intelligence operatives needed to leave the area quickly – but he was thankful now that he'd had the foresight for it. Getting a full contingent out there would be impossible to accomplish in short order, but the few men out there already were better than nothing.

Even if they _were_ headed straight into the territory controlled by Oracion Seis of the Baram Alliance.

After several gut wrenching jumps, Lahar found himself standing in the distant outpost. Doranbolt began to collapse beside him, magic depletion taking its toll on the officer. Lahar grabbed him and held him up.

The outpost was already in a frantic state, and Lahar soon understood why as the ground rumbled ominously beneath his feet.

"Men! At attention!" Lahar spoke loudly, the sharp, commanding tone of his voice carrying to the alarmed Rune Knights with ease. They snapped to attention, the cadence of a superior officer issuing orders drilled into them strongly enough to cut through their fear. "Lieutenant Corsan! What is the situation?"

"Sir!" A woman stepped forward from the Rune Knights. "Something large just rose up from the ground. It… it looks like a walking building, sir. It seems to be under attack, but it's on the move. It'll reach civilization relatively soon on its current trajectory."

Lahar nodded. "Then we need to deal with it." He passed Doranbolt off to one of the Knights, who propped the intelligence officer up against a wall. "Move out!"

Once in the Woodsea, it didn't take long for the dark mages still lingering around to notice the Rune Knights in their presence. Lahar soon found his group beset on several sides by enemies.

Long before they could approach the gargantuan structure moving through the forest… it stopped, and fell quiet. This development stop Lahar and his Rune Knights from mopping up any dark guild stragglers they came across, including – to his great surprise – several unconscious members of the infamous Oracion Seis.

Halfway through the night, Lahar called a brief rest while he interrogated some of the captured dark mages. It quickly became apparent that the dark guilds weren't the only source of illegal activity in the Woodsea in the past twenty-four hours. Several legal guild mages, including some from Fairy Tail, had banded together in clear violation of the inter-guild conflict ban, to fully obliterate all of Lahar's hard work and preparation against the Oracion Seis.

It set the normally calm Lahar's blood to boiling. He would be lucky now to get even half of the lesser dark guilds wrangled up before they pulled up roots and vanished once more. Furthermore, hadn't Fairy Tail already learned this particular lesson, from their conflict with Phantom Lord?

Fresh Rune Knights arrived then to replace Lahar's exhausted squadron, while more began to comb the forest for more dark mages; no doubt this was courtesy of Doranbolt, who must have recovered and sent for reinforcements. Lahar resolved to give the man his pick of assignments when they returned, and possibly a commendation of some sort.

Lahar himself pressed on, despite his own growing weariness. He was the highest ranking officer present – it was his duty to see this through until the end.

Daylight had broken by the time Lahar found the instigators of the entire mess. Several bruised and bandaged mages stared back at Lahar, dumbstruck by the rune barrier he'd hastily erected around them.

Amongst their number, Lahar was shocked to see two very familiar blonds.

Eve Tilm. That must have been the source of their information, Lahar concluded. The former Rune Knight must have taken something from the archives when he left, prior to Ultear's own, much more violent, exit.

And Lucy Heartfilia. Her presence really surprised Lahar. He would have thought she'd steer clear of breaking the ban on inter-guild conflict more than anyone else in her guild.

But most shocking of all – and the real reason he'd caged them – was the presence of two well-known criminals in their midst.

Richard Buchannan, of Oracion Seis.

 _And Jellal Fernandes himself_.

Bafflingly, Fairy Tail, and the other guild mages protested when he ordered the two men to be taken into custody. Even Eve Tilm, who knew better, seemed unhappy with this.

Well, Lahar didn't need to be liked. He'd do his job, and he'd do it well.

After the criminals were loaded into the transport vehicle, one of the Rune Knights turned towards Lahar. "Sir! What should we do with the others?"

And here, Lahar faced a dilemma. On the one hand, the legal guild mages had broken a rule with dire consequences. Protocol dictated that Lahar lock them up with the other criminals they'd rounded up that night. On the other hand, they'd done a good portion of the Rune Knights' work for them, in stopping that monstrous weapon that still towered over the Woodsea. Then again, they'd also made a mess of it, potentially endangering the lives of civilians and Lahar's Rune Knights and allowing the escape of many of the lesser dark guild mages.

Lahar looked at the group – much the worse for wear, and sporting injuries amongst all of them. There was even a child there. Who brought a _child_ into this mess like this? They deserved to be locked up for that alone.

And yet…

"Not today," Lahar told his Knights. "The ones we've already taken into custody are plenty." Jellal Fernandes was a career-maker, for all of them. And Lahar wasn't in the business of throwing children into prison, besides.

When they turned to leave, he ignored the stares of the legal mages at his back.

As far as he was concerned, this made him even. He no longer owed a debt of honor for his lapse in judgement months ago.

He hoped Lucy Heartfilia and her friends made the most of the freedom left in their possession.


	4. Role

**Day 4: Role**

* * *

"Rampaging mechanical dragon" was not what Lahar had been expecting to see first thing in the morning. Or… generally at any point in time.

The words in black ink on the report sitting on his desk stared balefully back at him. Further down the paper, the words "Fairy Tail" caught his eye, and understanding and resignation swept through the Rune Knight Captain in equal measure.

Just how was it that Fairy Tail continuously found themselves in these type of situations?

With the archival process nearly complete, it was truly stunning just how many of the surviving incident reports involved Fairy Tail's members or even the guild as a whole – going all the way back to its inception one hundred years prior. Which was fairly impressive, as the Magic Council as a whole had only been around for about half that time, itself.

At any rate, most of the recorded incidents were directly Fairy Tail's fault, not just the result of coincidence. Really, something needed to be done about the guild's reckless behavior, or more innocent people would get hurt. Furthermore, it was difficult to advocate for all of the guilds and Era as a whole when one _particular_ guild _insisted_ on causing as much trouble as possible.

Although… giving this new report a quick glance, Lahar didn't believe this time to be one of those. The guild had stumbled across something nasty, and had done their best to resolve it before it reached their home city. They had failed in that endeavor, but had ultimately resolved the issue well in advance of the Rune Knights arriving on the scene.

To Lahar, this meant that he would have to immediately begin working to improve the mobility of the Rune Knights under his command. After the fiasco at the Worth Woodsea with the Oracion Seis… it was sorely needed. It would be a problem if the guilds suddenly got it into their minds that they could keep the peace better than the Rune Knights, and ignore whatever rules they pleased so long as their intentions were good with little to no repercussions.

Lahar was finding it more difficult every day to justify to himself as to just why he'd given them the pass he had.

Maybe it was finally time to enact his plan to plant a spy within Fairy Tail's ranks… If Lahar could bring them down a peg or two, it would certainly make everyone's lives a lot more quiet.

To that end, he gathered up as many reports about Fairy Tail as he could. He needed to know his opponent like he knew himself. And more importantly, so did the spy he intended to use.

In his research, he came across two more reports about Lucy Heartfilia. One involved the arrest of a duke for tax evasion – where she and her teammate had completely leveled the man's dwelling. The other involved her role in stopping a heist committed by a dark guild under the Oracion Seis, prior to the dark guild's defeat. It seemed nowadays that he heard a lot about this girl, Lahar couldn't help but note. There was even photographic evidence of her utilizing key spirits known to belong to Angel, one of the members of Oracion Seis currently held in Era's prison, against the mechanical dragon.

Lahar had a sinking feeling that she would prove to be one of Fairy Tail's greatest troublemakers.

It was at that point that Lahar received word that Magnolia had vanished for a couple of days, and then mysteriously reappeared – along with an entire civilization of talking, flying cats.

He couldn't help but wonder just what role Lucy Heartfilia had played in this, because there was no doubt in his mind that Fairy Tail was at the heart of the whole thing.


	5. Throne

I went back and fixed chapter 3, because I only just now realized that I used "Mest" instead of "Doranbolt." It's correct now, thank god. That was mortifying to discover. This is why you shouldn't post fic the same day you write it... or write while sleep deprived.

That being said, this was written and posted same day, while sleep deprived, but I was a little more careful with the names. I promise.

* * *

 **Day 5: Throne**

* * *

The next time Lucy Heartfilia's name crossed Lahar's desk, was in a report that Lahar himself was penning: in a list of the missing, presumed dead.

It was the most difficult report that Lahar had ever had to write. Every time he tried to put the horror he'd witnessed into words, the memories would flood his mind and his hand would shake too hard to even attempt the endeavor. He knew he needed to get himself checked out, but he felt deep in his soul that he needed to accomplish this, first. If only to give himself a way to reason through the whole ordeal.

How had it gone so wrong? Lahar had only intended to knock Fairy Tail off their throne, not be witness to their demise.

Ships under the command of the Magic Council still combed the waters and the ports, looking for survivors, but that was only because none of the Magic Council members had been there. They hadn't seen the black dragon bearing down on the island. They hadn't seen the gargantuan breath attack, or how the sea swallowed what little remained of the obliterated land. There was no surviving that. There was no coming back from something like that. Looking for them now, almost a week later, was a formality, nothing more.

Doranbolt was inconsolable.

The man that Lahar had always relied on for his efficacy and cool head under pressure, had cracked completely. Lahar couldn't really blame him, though. Fairy Tail and its members had a certain… abrasive charm to them. And although they were rule breakers, Lahar couldn't think of them as evil. And there had been a child, amongst them. A child that Doranbolt was directly responsible for bringing to the island. The spy had believed it relatively safe (and the little dragon slayer was a more than capable mage in her own right), but that was going to weigh heavily on his conscious for a long, long time. Lahar wouldn't be surprised if Doranbolt resigned entirely.

Fairy Tail didn't deserve what had happened to them. To successfully fight off one of the most powerful dark guilds on the continent with only a fraction of their strength, and then to have to face Acnologia immediately afterward? Fate had dealt them a hand of certain death.

Lahar's own culpability in the whole thing sat in his gut like a lead stone. Once again, he'd made the wrong call. He should have tried to do something about getting the Fairy Tail mages off that island, even if they'd had their own ship. There must have been something he could have done to save them, to warn them, instead of just seeing to his own men's safety. There had to have been.

This was twice now that Lucy Heartfilia had faced the terrible consequences of Lahar's ill-fated decisions. And once again, he had nothing to offer but that he'd do better going forward. That he'd make better choices, and improve things for others.

But Lahar knew that he'd be seeing her accusing face in his dreams for a long, long time… if not for the rest of his life.


	6. Evolution

I might extend this fic a chapter or two past the week's prompts. If I do, I'll sandwich them between day 7 and day 8.

* * *

 **Day 6: Evolution**

* * *

Seven years later, Lahar could no longer call himself the same person he had once been.

After what had happened with Fairy Tail, he'd thrown himself into his job with new vigor – or was it more accurate to call it desperation? Regardless, there had been many more failures over the years. But there had also been a great number of successes. Lahar found himself the youngest Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit in the Rune Knights' history.

He was well on his way towards making a name for himself as a fair person, his methods having evolved along with his outlook on the guilds. No longer did he rush to lay the blame for conflicts on those just trying to do the jobs they were hired for. This was a side effect of leaving everything to the guilds to handle in the first place.

Lahar had not abandoned his sense of justice entirely, but now that he had the power to do so, he had begun to direct it inwards, towards the Magic Council itself. Corruption and abuse was rooted deeply into the organization and Lahar couldn't stand the thought of holding both them and the Rune Knights above the laws they were supposed to be enforcing. It made him unpopular with certain factions, but almost revered by others.

It didn't hurt that it had been a relatively peaceful seven years.

Until Fairy Tail's return.

The second they reappeared, by some miracle or act of the gods themselves, the continent had become embroiled in a plot to reverse and halt the flow of time itself. It was as if the world itself had held its breath until their reappearance.

Still, Lahar had heaved a sigh of relief that they were safe after all this time. He suspected shenanigans, but he was willing to overlook it this time. The Rune Knights – and most especially Lahar himself – had failed in their duties seven years ago on Tenrou Island, and the mages present on that island had subsequently lost seven years of their life.

As for himself… Lahar didn't consider the sleep he lost over his failure at Tenrou pointless, even in light of Fairy Tail's return. It had been a life-defining moment for him, and had he had made himself into a better person for it.

Lahar didn't plan to let them return to their former reckless abandon, however. The Rune Knights were almost a wholly different organization now, the Head Captains of other units following suit with Lahar's example. They were now much more efficient at peace-keeping than they had been, and although they were fairer, they wouldn't tolerate the same level of mischief as before.

Doranbolt, however, had suffered incredibly over the past years. His resigning from the Rune Knights appeared to have untethered what little stability he'd had after the incident on Tenrou Island. Lahar was pleased to be able to welcome him back to the fold, though – after eliciting a promise from the man that he'd seek help over the alcoholism he'd fallen into as a coping mechanism.

It was a strange happenstance that, while working with the Royal Knights in setting up the annual security measures for the Grand Magic Games, Lahar found himself with an invitation to be a guest judge on the third day. He also overheard that Fairy Tail was deep in training, in preparation to join in on the games to restore their reputation.

He stepped up all of his security measures immediately. If Lahar was going to be in attendance in such prominent view, then he was going to do his best to prevent the inevitable chaos that would occur thanks to the rambunctious guild.

Oddly, Lahar found himself looking forward to seeing their faces.

And wondering if Lucy Heartfilia would be competing.


	7. Distort

Yeah there's going to be at least one more chapter before Day 8.

* * *

 **Day 7: Distort**

* * *

Lahar was no fool.

Something had happened, beyond what Doranbolt told him. His head ached, and he had the niggling feeling that he'd forgotten something important. It wasn't much more than that – just a feeling. A suspicion. Doranbolt's smile was stretched a little too thin, there were a few too many injuries on the competing mages, and a little too much destruction. Knowing Doranbolt's magic like he did, there was only one conclusion Lahar could come to.

Doranbolt had erased, or altered his memories.

But why? Why would he do that?

Could he be protecting someone? Fairy Tail, perhaps? It was possible. He seemed to have developed quite an attachment to the guild, and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Doranbolt to feel like he owed them a debt of honor over what happened on Tenrou.

How far back had they been changed? What in his recent experiences could Lahar trust as reality, which had been crafted for him?

The only way to break Doranbolt's magic was to be aware that it was being used, and to force oneself past the mental block imposed by the spell. It wasn't a pleasant experience by any means, but it was doable.

Lahar's skull ached as he tried to think back past his distorted memories. He remembered… setting up the security for the Grand Magic Games, and being invited as a guest judge for one of the days. He still had his invitation as physical proof, so that much was at least the truth. Lahar struggled to recall anything on what had happened the first two days of the games, although that wasn't any great surprise. He would have been busy ironing out the wrinkles in his security plans, smoothening over upsets and altercations.

He thought he remembered the third day, when he was judge, clearly. The awe of Pandemonium and its wholescale demise, the overwhelming power displaying during the MPF testing, and Raven Tail's attempt at disrupting the games. None of these felt manufactured to Lahar. He even thought he'd seen Doranbolt in the stands, sobbing throughout the Pandemonium event. Doranbolt wouldn't have changed these memories, Lahar felt. They were too important to the man himself.

It was immediately after, that Lahar became unsure of himself. There was… some kind of security breach after the games' conclusion. He was sure of that. Lahar also thought he recalled talking with Yajima… but he couldn't remember for the life of him what he'd discussed with the former council member. Anger tinged those memories, further clouding them. What had happened?

The next thing Lahar could recall… turned his stomach. The Naval Battle. He'd been an observer in the crowd for day four, and not a judge. The cruelty put on display by Minerva of Sabertooth had been horrifying to watch. She played with her final opponent, like a cat would with a mouse. Lucy Heartfilia – to her credit – had endured it all, with a determination that would put a number of Lahar's Rune Knights to shame.

Had this been the expression she'd shown to Gajeel and Phantom Lord's Master Jose, all those years ago? Had this been the face she'd turned up to the sky, as the black dragon roared?

Then when Minerva had finished with her fun, she'd dropped her opponent like baggage.

Lahar hadn't felt so utterly powerless in years. Not since Tenrou. If he'd been a judge, he told himself, he could've done something about it. He knew he was lying to himself, but it was the only way he could accept what had just occurred in front of his eyes. Nothing Minerva had done was against the rules of the Grand Magic Games.

This, too, had to be genuine. And despite how ill it made him, Lahar clung to it.

Most of the rest of his memories were in pieces – like grainy footage, torn at the edges or missing entirely.

There was one, however. One that stood out clearer than the rest. In it, he'd visited Lucy Heartfilia in the medical bay. Had apologized for how badly she and her guild had been failed in this competition, not only with Flare and Minerva, but also with Raven Tail. As one of the guest judges, he apologized. But also as an individual, he apologized.

She'd given him a half-smile, and thanked him.

Lahar wanted desperately to believe that that memory was a true one, amongst all of the static in his head.

The rest of his memories were garbled beyond recovery. Despite knowing the trick behind Doranbolt's magic, Lahar couldn't seem to pry anything else out.

It was as if he didn't want to remember the rest.

That had to be it, Lahar realized. Doranbolt's magic had found purchase in Lahar's own desires.

With that, Lahar dropped his pursuit of the truth. Doranbolt was protecting someone, certainly. But that someone was probably Lahar himself. One day, Lahar would get the truth out of his friend.

But for now, he was content with the memories he'd managed to retain.


	8. Interview

I had to add this chapter to bridge between day 7 and 8. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

* * *

 **Day 7.5: Interview**

* * *

Lahar had no general objections to being interviewed for Sorcerer Weekly magazine; after all, he had been profiled several times over the years as a rising star in the Rune Knights. He was, however, somewhat adverse to the idea of a former member of Fairy Tail conducting it.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy Heartfilia said cheerfully as she shook his hand. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I'm afraid that Jason caught a bad case of the flu, so I will be interviewing you today in his place. I hope that won't be a problem?"

"No," Lahar lied. "I have no objections." He had so many objections to this that he didn't know where to begin. But he'd already scheduled the time for this interview, had reviewed the list of questions, and he'd committed to it three weeks in advance, so he was going to go through with it.

"Excellent!" As they both sat down – Lahar behind his desk and Lucy in the chair before it – Lucy pulled out her notepad. "First of all," she began with a smile, "I have to compliment you on your work in rebuilding the Magic Council and Rune Knights after the attack from Tartaros earlier this year. What would you say your greatest challenge was?"

"Replenishing our numbers," Lahar answered. "Buildings can be replaced, but people cannot be. Although there have been many new talented recruits and people eager to help, our ranks are still not what they've used to be." In truth, they were abysmal – spread out too far, with too little experience under their belts. It was a sad day when Lahar could honestly say that the most capable of the recent lot had all come from Fairy Tail before it had disbanded.

"I see." Lucy scribbled his answer down in her notebook, her brow furrowed in thought when she looked up again. "How do you feel about your promotion to Head Captain of the Rune Knights?"

"It came at too high of a cost," he stated firmly. And it was also somewhat inevitable, given that he was the only ranking officer left alive after one of Tartaros's demons had destroyed Era and slaughtered the Magic Council. "I hope to prove myself worthy of the title, all the same."

Lucy nodded, transcribing the response. "I would venture that the work you've already accomplished would have proven that. Several times over."

"Thank you, but there's still plenty of work left to do." He laughed lightly, then grimaced slightly at the pain the action caused him.

"Are you alright?" Lucy suddenly asked, her notepad forgotten as she looked at him in concern.

"Yes," Lahar was quick to reassure her, internally chiding himself over the slip. "I sustained some injuries from the attack, and I'm afraid there's been some lasting damage." Specifically, there was a rather nasty piece of shrapnel still lodged inside of him that the doctors hadn't been able to safely remove.

Although that hadn't been on her list of approved interview questions, Lucy still wrote something in her notepad about it. Then she hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking…" she started to say, and Lahar had the sinking feeling that she was about to stray from what had been agreed upon to ask. "How did you manage to survive?" Coughing, the blonde then added, "I mean… the odds were pretty stacked against you."

Lahar considered whether to respond to the question. Doranbolt – now Mest Gryder – had quit the Rune Knights once more, and his records as Doranbolt were more or less destroyed for good. Pretty much everyone aside from Lahar that had known him professionally was now dead. But Lahar didn't want to cast a strong light on his friend, anyway… just in case.

Fidgeting in her seat, Lucy opened her mouth to take back the question, only to have Lahar halt her by holding up his hand. "It's alright," he said. "It's a valid question." He was sure there were plenty of rumors going around about how he'd accomplished the feat. As if survivors of the tragedy didn't have enough to deal with in trying to pick themselves up, or in dealing with the inevitable guilt associated with living while others had not, there were also plenty of people discontent enough with the Magic Council and Rune Knights to slander them with conspiracy theories. It would be best to put those to bed as soon as possible.

"I survived," Lahar said slowly, "because a fellow member of the Rune Knights sacrificed himself to save me." It was the truth, even if Mest had not lost his life. Mest would probably never be quite the same again, after witnessing another tragedy of that magnitude. And Lahar didn't begrudge him that. After all, he owed the man his life – even if he had been a spy for Fairy Tail all along.

Instead of apologizing for the gaffe, Lucy just stared straight through Lahar for a minute, before nodding slowly. "I understand," she said so softly that Lahar wasn't certain she'd intended for him to hear it.

The rest of the interview proceeded without further incident, and soon the ordeal was over. They both stood from their seats, and Lahar walked around his desk. He shook her hand. "Take care of yourself," Lahar told her. "And I'm sorry for your loss."

Lucy flushed. "Thank you," she told him with a lopsided smile. "You know… you're a lot nicer than you initially came across to me. After the Oracion Seis."

That garnered a snort from the Rune Knight. "I _have_ been told more than a few times that I'm a little too… enthusiastic in the pursuit of my duties. But thank you." He gestured to the door. "There are two Rune Knights outside who will escort you out of the building." Lahar had paged for them as soon as he'd been informed that Lucy Heartfilia of Sorcerer Weekly had arrived for their appointment, even before she'd been escorted to his office.

"Thank you again; it was a lovely interview," Lucy said.

Lahar returned to his desk as she departed, but even on the other side of the now-closed door he could hear her exclamations of delight.

"Gajeel! Levy!"


	9. Grown-Up

I'm really pleased with this final chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

 **Day 8: Grown-up**

* * *

The construction on the new Fairy Tail guildhall was well underway. Financed by the guild members themselves, vendors were hauling in new lumber and stone by the truckload. People rushed around everywhere, consulted blueprints, or sat in the shade fanning themselves from the oppressive late July heat.

Lahar was somewhat concerned over the lack of hardhats, and he couldn't help but wonder if any of what he was seeing would be up to Magnolia's building code when it was finished. He decided after a minute that it was probably none of his business – he wasn't in charge of building ordinances after all and he was in Magnolia on a different errand, besides. And on his day off, in civilian clothing, at that.

The file in his hand felt a lot heavier than it rightly should, but Lahar was finding it difficult to interrupt the Fairy Tail mages as they worked. If he'd been there in his more professional capacity, it would be a simple matter. But he was there a few days early as a courtesy to Mest.

"Oh, hello!" a familiar voice greeted him.

Turning his head towards the woman approaching from his left, Lahar gave her a small smile. "Lucy Heartfilia, good afternoon," he returned easily. Her hair was much longer than when he'd last seen her, he noted internally.

She seemed to brighten at that. "Wow, I'm surprised you remember my name. We've only met a couple of times."

"You'd be surprised at how well I know the names of everyone in Fairy Tail," Lahar replied. "They've certainly crossed my desk often enough over the years."

Laughter bubbled up from Lucy's mouth at his frank admission. "Not mine too much, I hope?"

"Yours and your teammates' _especially_. I have a special file for your team, labeled _'Troublemakers.'_ " Although the words he spoke carried the tone of a joke, it really wasn't. The file existed exactly as Lahar stated.

Embarrassment colored her cheeks. "Well, I guess that's to be expected, given… given my team's antics. In our defense, not all of it is our fault." She shook her head a little, as if to clear it. "Anyway, what brings you to Magnolia today, Mister Head Captain?"

Seeing his opportunity, he raised the file in his hand and held it out to her. "Special delivery."

Taking it, Lucy gave him a confused smile before opening it to peer at the contents. Her eyes widened, and Lahar found it difficult to repress the urge to laugh at the comical expression on her face.

Lucy closed the file slowly, and her gaze returned to his, her eyes still wide as saucers. "But… but this is…"

"The Fairy Tail guild is officially reinstated," Lahar informed her. When she still looked bewildered, he explained, "When Gajeel and Levy turned in their resignations, I prepared most of the paperwork in anticipation of this." Lahar gestured broadly to the new construction. "All that's left is for your new Guild Master to sign them, and you can open for business."

The celestial mage's lower lip trembled, and she clutched the file a little tighter. "Tha-Thank you," she said, her throat clogged with emotion. "Really. This means the world."

His expression was kind. "Glad I could help." He paused, and then, as an afterthought, asked, "By the way… who _is_ your new Guild Master? Out of curiosity."

"Erza," Lucy replied, a grin spreading across her lips as Lahar's expression fell. "I take it you don't approve!"

"No, I'm just…" Lahar gave up and heaved a sigh. "I should have expected this, but I was hoping for someone with a better track record with paperwork." He may no longer be handling most of the mundane paperwork involving the guilds and the complaints filed against them, but he felt bad for his replacement in that department. They were going to suffer greatly in the coming future.

Lucy nodded and let out a light laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I hear you on that. I'll try to make sure she doesn't destroy _all_ of it. As a special favor to you."

"The Rune Knights thank you for it," Lahar intoned in mock solemnity, garnering another laugh from the blonde. "Would it be too much to ask if Fairy Tail plans to grow up anytime soon?"

"Yes," Lucy told him, flat-out. She patted his arm consolingly. "There's an eternal adventure to be had, you know. We've got no time for growing up."

"Good." His response startled her visibly, and a satisfied smirk crawled across his face at the display. "It would be a bit boring, otherwise," he confided to her. "But that's just the opinion of a civilian. I doubt the Head Captain of the Rune Knights will share it." With a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes, he added, "I've heard that the man is a real stickler for the rules."

One of Lucy's hands flew to her mouth and she bent forward slightly, shaking from the force of stifling her laughter. "Yeah," she wheezed, tears forming in her eyes. "We better watch ourselves. I've heard that he doesn't like troublemakers like us very much!"

"Oh, I'd say he likes them well enough." Lahar placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take care, Miss Heartfilia. And tell Mest I said hello."

"Lucy," she told him as he withdrew his hand. "It's just Lucy, of Fairy Tail."

"I'll remember that," he promised.

The blonde gave him a short wave as he departed, which Lahar returned.

Lahar expected that her name would cross his desk again very soon.

He was looking forward to it.


End file.
